According to The Times of India, our country loses approximately 1,600 military personnel every year without being on the war field.
That’s 1600 fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands that never make it back home. And more than 2000 family members having to step up as the bread-winners or care-givers, not giving them more than a few moments to acknowledge their grief.
We lose people to death so often. Sometimes they’re old and have lived a full life, and some don’t even make it to 20. Life is unpredictable, and regardless of being aware of the fact, we sometimes lose ourselves in the moment. But when you’re a family member of a soldier, you never forget for a second about the unpredictability of life.
You’re constantly switching between pride and praying. It’s never knowing if they’ll come home walking on their own two feet or wrapped inside a coffin. It’s watching children grow up with tales of bravery but no father, mothers working hard to drown their grief, and a wife that feels the emptiness of the bed with a permanent ache in her chest. It’s a death you live before and after they stop breathing.
We may feel pain for their loss momentarily, but these families feel it long after, especially the children who have the rest of their lives ahead of them without a father-figure, without someone who loves and provides for them, both. There’s nothing in the world we could do to take that grief and loss away from them. As citizens, we cannot do much to save the lives of those who protect us, but we can do our part in helping their families find solid ground.
Through the Helping Panda Campaign for our Martyrs, you can donate to feed, clothe, and educate the family members of these brave soldiers.
Our goal is to reach ₹25,000 in the next few months, but every rupee counts. If you cannot donate, spread the word so those who are able can.
As always, Helping Panda is looking for new ways to improve and make an impact so if you know more ways in which we can help, let us know in the comments below!
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